Palm Springs murder suspect extradited from South Dakota

Homicides were reported across the Coachella Valley in 2017. Desert Hot Springs had the most killings and it was followed by Palm Springs.
Colin Atagi/The Desert Sun

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Tosten Walsh Lommen is accused of killing his mother around Dec. 30 in Palm Springs. He was recently extradited from South Dakota, where he was arrested following a pursuit.(Photo: The Desert Sun file photo)Buy Photo

A murder suspect, accused of killing his mother at her home in Palm Springs, is in custody in Riverside after being extradited from South Dakota.

Tosten Walsh Lommen, who was transferred to the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on Saturday, is being held on in lieu of $1.1 million bail for allegedly killing his mother, Michelle Walsh, at her Palm Springs home around Dec. 30.

Walsh Lommen, 30, is scheduled to appear in Riverside County Superior Court Wednesday to face one count of murder.

On Jan. 1, South Dakota Highway Patrol officers found Michelle Walsh's body in the rear of the SUV that her son drove during a high-speed chase on Interstate 90, authorities said.

Speeds reached 118 mph and officers used spike strips to stop the SUV, which came to rest in a ditch following a 50-mile chase from Spearfish to Rapid City.

Lommen was arrested after he tried to run from the scene. Authorities said he had a blood alcohol concentration level of 0.142, which is above the legal limit of 0.08. Prescription bottles and a growler that smelled of alcohol were found inside his vehicle.